Finding A Home
by treetiesandcandycanecapris
Summary: Basically a background story on how Blink got to the Lodging House. It's for NewsieGoil1899. I hope you all like it.


Kid Blink sat on his bed at the Lodging House. He was done selling  
early because he took about 15 to 20 papes. He lay down and stared at the   
ceiling. He started thinking, well remembering actually, about his  
childhood. He smirked that trademark smirk as he remembered the time when  
his dad was there. Those were the happy times; just him, his dad, and his  
mom. He thought about the times when they would all play. Then those  
happy memories faded into sad, depressing ones.

"Kevin…" His mother said through tears, "Your father."  
"What is it mama?" A seven year old, Kevin "Kid Blink" Ballot asked.

"Your father…" She managed before she sat down in a chair, "Was killed  
today."

"What?" He asked.

"Yes, Honey, he was killed." She said in the sweetest possible tone.

"Daddy?" Kevin asked innocently.

"I'm so sorry, Honey." His mother said kissing his forehead and holding  
him.

Blink rolled over onto his side, his smirk gone. A tear rolled down his  
face and onto his pillow as he thought of another memory.

"Where are you taking her?" A now twelve-year-old Kevin asked.

"We're taking her in son. She's not stable enough on her own." A man in   
white answered him.

"But, I can take care of her, I have been." Kevin said.

"Yes, and for that time she was fine, but now listen here, you can  
visit her, but she can't stay here." The man told Kevin.

Kevin watched as they took his mother and put her up in the buggy.

"But, what's going to happen to me? I have no father, as of right now,  
I have no mother, and no other family." Kevin said into his hands.

"How old are you, son?" The man asked.

"Twelve." Kevin answered, looking up at the man.

"Well, I know of a place where you can stay. Just come with me." The  
man said.

Blink slowly got up and followed the guy to the buggy. They climbed in  
and the man asked,

"Don't you need your things?"

"No, just go." Kevin said.

The man nodded, and whenever everything was ready, they left. The whole  
ride to this place, the man never brought up the subject of the boy's  
eye patch. At first he figured it was just for pretend. The boy was  
twelve after all, but then he remembered the boy's mother wasn't in a good  
condition. So he didn't press or bring up the conversation.

A few minutes later, they arrived. It said Newsboys Lodging House.

"Well, as you can see, this is the Newsboys Lodging House. They sell  
newspapers. This is the only place I can think of to put you. Are you  
gonna be alright?" The man asked.

"Yeah, I guess." Kevin said climbing out of the buggy.

"Hold on." The man said holding out his hand in a fist. "Here, take this in  
case you need it."

Kevin extended his hand and the man dropped the money in it.

"Thanks, I can't take this. It doesn't feel right." Kevin said offering it  
back to the man.

"No, you take it. You need it right now more than I do." The man said.

"Thanks, Mister." Kevin said.

"Sure thing. See you around, son." The man said, and with that he was  
off.

Kevin watched as the buggy slowly went out of sight. He took a deep  
breath and turned around to look at the building. He walked towards the  
door and opened it. He hesitated walking in but he went. He shut the door  
and turned to see an elderly man behind the desk.

Kevin walked over and stood in front of the man.

"Can I help ya?" The man asked.

"Hm, I guess. How much is it to stay here?"Kevin asked.

"Well, I charge 3 cents a night." The man   
said.

"Okay." Blink said handing the man the exact amount.

"Ah, I can cut ya a break and you can start payin' tomorrow. Just write  
your name in here." The man said handing Kevin a book and a pen.

Kevin took them and wrote his name in an available spot. He handed the  
book back to the man, who looked at it.

"Well, Kevin, I'm Kloppman. I'll show you to the bunks and you can meet  
the boys." Kloppman said heading up the stairs.

Kevin followed, a little nervous to meet, 'The boys'.

_'They'll probably make fun of my eye patch.'_ Kevin thought.

Then too soon, they were there. Kevin was being stared at by about 20  
boys.

"Boys, this is Kevin Ballot. He's gonna be staying with us. Please be  
nice and give him a bunk." Kloppman said before he left.

"The name's Jack Kelly." A boy said getting up to greet Kevin.

"I, as you know, am Kevin Ballot." Kevin said.

The boys were staring at his face as Jack introduced him to all of the  
other boys. There was one that was really nice. His name was Mush. They   
were all nice to him, but he was sort of overly nice.

"So." Race said.

"You guys wanna know about my the eye patch right?" Kevin said.

"Yeah, we would have asked but it's." Mush said.

"Awkwad." Race finished.

"Basically." Mush said.

"Well, I was ten when it happened. My mother had just started to have  
more and more fits. My father died three years before and she was so  
depressed for those three years and she would occasionally have fits.  
She'd through things during these fits. Well, I was trying to leave the  
kitchen during one of the fits and I turned around to see if she would  
be done and then a knife hit my eye."

"Did it hurt?" Skittery asked on an impulse.

"No, it felt like a cool breeze on a warm summer's day. Of course it  
hurt." Kevin said.

"Duh, Skitts." Another boy said wacking him across the back of the  
head.

"Sorry, I just had to know, ya know, impulse." Skittery said.

"Impulse." Race snorted.

"So, what happened next?" Mush asked.

"Well, I couldn't just take it out cause I was ten but I had to do   
something. So I went to all the houses around but no one was there. So I  
walked to the hospital. There weren't no horses ta steal so I had to  
walk. I got there; they took out da knife, and gave me this patch. Of course  
they put another patch under this one to stop all de blood. The offered  
me a ride home, so I took it. They dropped me off and they didn't  
charge me since I was ten and I liked about why I was there but they don't  
know that, hopefully. I couldn't tell them that my mother threw a knife  
at me. And that's why I got the patch." Kevin said.

"Wow." Mush said.

"I know." Kevin said.

"So why are youse stayin' here?" Race asked.

"Well, they took my mother away tonight and I got no where else to go." Kevin said.

After a few minutes of silence, Jack was the first to speak.

"Well, since youse gonna be stayin' here youse gotta have a name." He said.

"What about Kid?" Mush suggested.

"That's good but everyone our age is called kid. Someone would yell that  
and he'd be there forever trying to find the guy who said his name." Race said.

"Okay, well you think of one." Mush said.

"Okay den. How about Kid since he's a kid and…Blink! Blink since he's  
only got one eye. So dere, Kid Blink." Race said.

"Dat's stupid." A newsboy said.

"Oh yeah?" Race said.

"Hey guys! It's his name, what do ya think?" Jack said to Kevin.

"I like it. Kid Blink." Kevin said.

"Good. Now, how about we call ya Blink foa short. Ya know like Race.  
His name's Racetrack, but we sometimes call him Race." Jack said.

"Okay." Kevin said.

"Okay den. Night guys, Race'll show ya to your bunk, Blink." Jack said  
going to his.

"Ova here." Race said to Blink.

Kevin walked over to bunk beds. Race got in the bottom one.

"Youse on da top one." Race said shutting his eyes.

Kevin climbed up and lay there, staring at the ceiling.

Which is where we he is presently. He hears the fellas coming up and  
yelling his name.

"Come on, Blink, we're goin' ta Tibby's." Mush called.

"Yeah, be right dere!" Blink yelled, jumping off of his bunk smiling.

He ran down the stairs and met Mush and the others. They went to   
Tibby's and had a normal rest of the day.


End file.
